JTBC’s “Reborn Rookie” Hits Best-Ever Ratings as TVN’s “Spooky in Love” Unveils Park Eun Bin Ghost-Seeing Teaser

JTBC’s newly launched drama Reborn Rookie has moved into its second-half run on what Nielsen Korea calls its strongest performance yet, while TVN has continued to stoke anticipation for the July premiere of Spooky in Love with a new teaser starring Park Eun Bin. The back-to-back announcements highlight how quickly Korea’s summer drama calendar is heating up—both through on-air momentum and carefully timed promotional reveals.

“Reborn Rookie” secures its highest ratings in first-half finale

On June 14, Reborn Rookie wrapped up the first half of its broadcast schedule. According to Nielsen Korea, the show’s sixth episode climbed to an average nationwide rating of 9.5%. The jump marked a new high for the series, placing it among the more competitive programs airing in its current slot.

The ratings news arrives as Korean networks and production teams increasingly treat early audience traction as a decisive factor for mid-season growth. With viewership already approaching the 10% threshold nationwide, Reborn Rookie appears positioned to benefit from the “second-half lift” phenomenon, where word-of-mouth and character arcs tend to deepen after initial setup episodes.

Sunday crown continues: “Recipe for Love” leads KBS 2TV

In the same Nielsen Korea snapshot, KBS 2TV’s Recipe for Love defended its status as the most-watched program on Sundays. The drama recorded an average nationwide rating of 15.9%, underscoring the intense competition among weekend lineups even as new series debut.

Taken together, the figures suggest a two-track market dynamic: established audience leaders continue to draw large followings, while newer shows can still break through—especially when their ratings establish upward momentum early in the schedule.

TVN’s “Spooky in Love” introduces Park Eun Bin’s ghost-seeing heiress

While Reborn Rookie focuses on real-time viewership performance, TVN’s Spooky in Love is building buzz through narrative intrigue. The network released a new teaser spotlighting Park Eun Bin as Cheon Yeo Ri, described as a chaebol heiress and CEO of the country’s top luxury hotel.

In the teaser, Cheon Yeo Ri is framed through the perspective of her staff—portrayed as an icy boss who wears gloves and maintains strict physical distance. In voice-over, critics suggest she treats those around her as if they were “invisible,” while one comment escalates into a sharper, ghost-themed jab: the teaser implies that her privilege-driven distance might be so intense that even “ghosts” should come take those who look drunk on status.

A sudden atmosphere shift reveals why she stays distant

That taunting line becomes the hinge for the teaser’s reveal. The atmosphere shifts abruptly as the story explains the reason behind Cheon Yeo Ri’s isolation: every night, spirits visit her. The haunting does not appear to be visible to others, and the teaser emphasizes that these entities are invisible to everyone else, turning Cheon Yeo Ri into a private target in a world where others can’t perceive the threat.

In one of the teaser’s key moments, Cheon Yeo Ri lies in bed, then snaps her eyes open as she senses an unfamiliar presence. When she finally sees the intruding entity, her calm speech suggests that this is not the first time she has encountered the spirit—positioning the upcoming romance as something grounded in recurring supernatural tension rather than a one-off scare.

Spooky in Love is a remake of the 2011 film Spellbound. It is described as an occult romance centered on a chaotic partnership between a hotel heiress who can see ghosts and a passionate prosecutor who is terrified of them.

What to watch next: mid-series momentum and July premiere competition

With Reborn Rookie climbing to an average national rating of 9.5% for episode six, the near-term question is whether the show can sustain—and possibly extend—its first-half gains as it moves deeper into character development. Viewers will likely look for a second-half narrative escalation that justifies the rating rise, particularly if the series tightens pacing and broadens its appeal beyond early adopters.

Meanwhile, Spooky in Love is set to premiere on July 18 at 9:10 p.m. KST. With Park Eun Bin’s established star power and the teaser’s clear supernatural hook, the production will be watching how quickly the audience responds to the “ghost visibility” premise and whether the romance chemistry—especially with a prosecutor who fears spirits—translates into retention. As July approaches, expect intensified promotional releases and possible schedule jockeying as networks gauge how Reborn Rookie and other competitors reshape attention.